Spicy Red Pepper Jelly
I see Pepper Jelly everywhere. Costco has a great one. every grocery and specialty deli seem to have several options. We grew up eating it with Sunday Chicken Dinner. Delicious. I love the homemade version even more than the store bought and being able to customize the spice level is so nice.
With meat, with cheese, it’s hard to go wrong, and although my Grandma has been gone for many years, I am always excited to pull her hand written recipe card out of the box. You will be pleasantly surprised with how easily her recipe for “Red Pepper Relish” comes together. It makes a beautiful gift, an easy-to-throw-together-appetizer, a last minute (crap I totally forgot) hostess gift, and best of all, if you pop wax on top, it will keep for a year or more.
You can have a double recipe banged off and cooling in a half hour!
I will post a great Brie Appetizer Recipe later this week using this relish and later this month I will tuck a jar into my little Teacher gift packages.
Grandma Margret’s Red Pepper Relish, with a few adjustments that make it a Spicy Red Pepper Jelly:
1 3/4 Cups finely shopped Red Peppers (approximately 4)
1/2 Cup of your choice of finely chopped Hot Peppers (if you want it more than mildly hot, reduce the red peppers and add more spicy peppers)
1 heaping TBSP of dried Chili Flakes
1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
7 Cups Sugar
1 Bottle or 2 Pouches of Liquid Certo
8 - 8oz jars
Paraffin Wax
Gloves (to be used when chopping hot peppers)
Drain Peppers if you are using an electric chopper.
Combine Peppers, Chili Flakes, Sugar and Vinegar in a large pot.
Mix Well.
Heat to a boil.
Boil HARD for 1 minute.
Mix well.
Remove from heat.
Add Certo.
Continue to stir for 10 minutes (to cool and prevent pepper-separation)
Pour into clean jars.
Cover with 1/4” melted Paraffin Wax.
Immediately close jars with lids and rings.
These jars don’t need to be pressurized to keep (the horrifying amount of sugar does the work for you), but as they cool, you will hear many of them self seal anyways (a high pitched popping noise).
Can be used right away. Refrigerate after opening.
This was the perfect job to share with the little miss this year. Thankful to be able to share some of my memories from growing up with her, even if she still refuses taste it.
Enjoy!
~Q
